


What I Did For Love

by winterjasmine007



Category: Gladiator (2000)
Genre: Ancient Rome, F/M, Inspired by Gladiator (2000)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:01:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26602615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winterjasmine007/pseuds/winterjasmine007
Summary: A few weeks after encountering the Emperor himself, Prince Lucius delivers some shocking news to the reader. (Continuation to "Till I Hear You Sing")Note: another song fic for "What I Did for Love" from "A Chorus LIne"
Relationships: Lucius Aelius Aurelius Commodus | Emperor Commodus/Reader
Kudos: 5





	What I Did For Love

_**Kiss today goodbye** _

_**The sweetness and the sorrow** _

_**Wish me luck, the same to you** _

“Come in, Y/N.” Lucius called to you from his bed. Obediently, you entered the prince’s bedroom. You were dressed differently for tonight - apparently one of the guards had instructed you to wear something a bit more elegantas opposed to your usual white frills. So here you were, kneeling by Prince Lucius, wearing a flowing gown of jade with a v-neck and a golden girdle. It was certainly nothing compared to the royal fare of Empress Lucilla, let alone compared to the Emperor’s mistresses, but it was perfect for you.

“You look nice tonight, Y/N.” The prince spoke as you approached him. “Thank you, Highness.” Lucius cocked his head sideways at your reply. “Why won’t you call me by name, Nightingale? You’ve sung me to sleep for years - ever since I was a baby.” You chuckled, unaware of how ethereal you looked in the candlelight. “Very well then…I shall call you Lucius, if you will tell me why you call me Nightingale.”

“Mama says you sound like one when you sing. Actually, _everyone_ in the palace thinks you do.” “Everyone?” You queried, much to his pleasant surprise. The boy nodded with a sad smile. “Yes. But Uncle has told me you can’t sing for me anymore, Nightingale.”

After a moment of blinking, you took a deep breath and straightened yourself. “Then I suppose this is our last night together, Lucius.” He peered into your mixed expression. “Aren’t you going to ask why?” You shook your head, swallowing the urge to show any emotion. “I am sure the Emperor has his reasons, Lucius.” Stroking his light brown hair, you began a lullaby - tonight’s melody was a familiar one, about a white flower that bloomed every morning and brought joy.

_**But I can’t regret** _

_**What I did for love, what I did for love** _

The news had come as quite a shock to you. This had been your main profession for almost eight years, and during those years you had actually come to find the prince endearing. The bond the two of you shared was almost more wholesome than the bond he shared with his mother. She had become increasingly withdrawn during the past few weeks - every night she would be nowhere to be found in the palace, much to the Emperor’s irk. Naturally, the prince turned to you as a confidante.

You couldn’t help but wonder if you had done something wrong that fateful night Commodus came to you. The Emperor had _fired_ you…and worse, he made his nephew tell you. Not that you expected His Majesty to deliver the news himself - you were a palace servant after all. Then again, it would’ve given you one more chance to see his face.

Ever since that night he came to you, the emperor never seemed to leave your thoughts. He was captivating and commanding to most, hardly ever seen without a full set of armor, a sword in his arm, and a new maiden on his knee. Yet it was that vulnerability and sweetness he had with you that night, that made you wish to see him again and again.

It couldn’t be called love, you told yourself several times. Even if it were, what good would it do? The Emperor hardly ever saw you - most nights when you entered the palace, he could be heard…actually the screams of his concubines could be heard from his bedroom and bathing areas. And most nights, you called yourself a fool for thinking an attraction to someone so powerful could ever be reciprocated.

_**Look, my eyes are dry** _

_**The gift was ours to borrow** _

_**It’s as if we always knew** _

In that moment, it took all of your strength not to burst into a fit of sobs while you sang. Lucius peacefully drifted off while holding your hand. Simply realizing that the baby you had sang to was now a little man made you realize that the Emperor didn’t want you to sing anymore because he had grown up. Now, he was expected to start behaving more closer to his age - no more toys, no more bedtime stories, and no more lullabies.

The song came to an end and you kissed the boy’s forehead, pulling the blanket to his chin.

**_And I won’t forget what I did for love_ **

**_What I did for love_ **

Emperor Commodus watched everything from his usual hiding place. As he watched Lucius talk to you earlier, his heartstrings tugged at how affectionately you kneeled by his side and entertained his questions. Over the years, Commodus felt his feelings for you rise like an obelisk, brick by brick. Never once had he regretted the first night he’d heard your voice.

It all started with a simple wish to hear you sing, but it slowly spiraled into an urge for your closeness. Even more fantasies haunted him for weeks after the night you found him. Gods, what wouldn’t he give to run his fingers through your lustrous hair to soothe himself, or to merely turn and find your lovely eyes gazing back at his? And if he could make you laugh the way you made his nephew and your palace friends do, he would consider his existence as heaven on Earth. 

_**Gone, Love is never gone** _

_**As we travel on** _

_**Love’s what we’ll remember** _

When the last candle of the prince’s room had been blown, you closed his door and wiped away a tear. Not only had you come to adore the boy, but he had come to love you and trust you. You were going to miss him no matter what. If fate permitted, you would have been happy to put him to sleep until he’d become a man. Silently, you chided yourself for getting so attached to someone you knew would leave your life someday. It was time to do away with useless emotions, and think of your next occupation…but not tonight.

Taking advantage of the palace’s emptiness, you unpinned your hair, leaned against a marble pillar, and wept profusely. Unbeknownst to you, someone was also against that same pillar, witnessing his heart break with every tear you shed. “Y/N?” He called.

**_Kiss today goodbye_ **

**_And point me toward tomorrow_ **

You turned to find the Emperor himself facing you. Red-eyed and teardrop-stained, you rushed to smoothen yourself in hopes you did not look unpresentable before him. “G-good evening, Highness.”

 _Highness_ , he thought, _Of course she has forgotten you - you bared your soul for a maiden, and_ ** _this_ **_is what you get. How could you be so silly? She doesn’t want you - she would never. Maybe I shouldn’t even ask her._ “Are you alright, Y/N?”

“Yes,” you replied with your most poised manner. “I am, Highness…I shall be going to the infirmary tomorrow to serve as a midwife.” The Emperor seemed genuinely shocked, asking why you would no longer be coming to the palace. You recounted every word the prince told you, and Commodus listened intently. He was surprised at how easily you trusted his decision, not even bothering to know why you were to be dismissed from serving his nephew’s bedside.

“Y/N, I dismissed you because I wanted you to be transferred to another area of service…one more suitable for you.” He informed. “May I know the service you are speaking of, Highness?” You asked, silently hoping it would be away from the kitchens or the sewers. Perhaps the royal family was expecting another child.

**_We did what we had to do_ **

**_Won’t forget, can’t regret_ **

**_What I did for love_ **

“I want you as my nighttime personal aide.” Commodus clarified, cautiously approaching you as he explained your duties: taking the Emperor’s messages, making sure his bedsheets were perfectly cleaned by the laundry staff, sending away a lingering concubine, checking his schedule for the next day, as well as having his breakfast ready for him in the morning. “And…” He gently placed his lips on yours in a soft kiss. “I would like one of _those_ every night.”

You felt a slight smile across your blushing face at the list of responsibilities. With a delighted smirk, the Emperor extended his hand towards you. “Take my offer, Y/N. I only give it once.” His tone may have been a gentle order, but his eyes pleaded for your acceptance. “I accept, Your Highness.” You kissed his ring before allowing him to lead you to the imperial chambers. “Did I tell you that green is my favorite color?” He asked nonchalantly, pointing to your dress. “They are the color of your eyes, Highness.” Commodus interlaced his arm with yours as you walked, pleased with your response. That night, he had a new wish for the gods: to make you love him the same way he loved you, and to keep you by his side for a while - if not for the rest of his life.


End file.
